Transcript Slide 1

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Although the Soviet Union was highly centralized, it still
maintained a federal government structure
Russian Federation has retained this model, with the current
regime consisting of 89 regions, 21 of which are ethnically
non-Russian by majority
Each region is bound by treaty to the Federation, not all have
officially signed on (Chechnya)
Most regions are called “republics”
Many republics ruled themselves independently, but Putin
has cracked down on this
Putin ended direct election of the 89 regional governors,
they are now nominated by the president and confirmed by
the regional legislatures
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Political Parties
Elections
Interest Groups
Media
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Began forming after Revolution of 1991
Small, factional
Formed around particular leaders
 “Bloc of General Andrey Nikolaev and Academician Svyaloslav
Fyodorov”
 “Yuri Boldyrev Movement” (“Yabloko”)
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Formed around particular issues
 “Party of Pensioners”
 “Agrarian Party of Russia”
 “United Civil Front”-Garry Kasparov (focused on opposing the
administration of Putin)
 “Women of Russia”
▪ Political Parties Today (United Russia, Communist Party, Reform Parties)
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Founded in April 2001
Merger between “Fatherland All-Russia” Party and the
“United Party of Russia”
 United Party put together by oligarch Boris Berezovsky and other
entrepreneurs to support Putin in the election of 2000 (later accused
of fraud by Putin and lives in England)
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Merger put even more political support behind Putin
United Russia won 221 of the 450 Duma seats in 2004
elections
Putin won re-election in 2004 as the United Russia candidate
United Russia is hard to define other than that it is pro-Putin
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Communist Party of the old Soviet Union (CPSU)
After 1995 elections held 157 of the 450 Duma seats
After parliamentary election of 2003 only retained 51 of the
450 Duma seats
Party leader Gennady Zyuganov finished second in the 1996
and 2000 elections, but support for the party dropped each
time, he withdrew from the race in the 2004 election
Party was weakened in 2004 when a breakaway faction led
by Vladimir Tikhonov split from the party
Party is less reformist than other parties, Zyuganov opposed
the reforms initiated by Gorbachev
Party emphasizes central planning and nationalism
Would like to see Russia regain territories it lost after Soviet
Union dissolution
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Communist Party of the old Soviet Union (CPSU)
After 1995 elections held 157 of the 450 Duma seats
After parliamentary election of 2003 only retained 51 of the
450 Duma seats
Party leader Gennady Zyuganov finished second in the 1996
and 2000 elections, but support for the party dropped each
time, he withdrew from the race in the 2004 election
Party was weakened in 2004 when a breakaway faction led
by Vladimir Tikhonov split from the party
Party is less reformist than other parties, Zyuganov opposed
the reforms initiated by Gorbachev
Party emphasizes central planning and nationalism
Would like to see Russia regain territories it lost after Soviet
Union dissolution
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Controversial party
Headed by Vladimir Zhirinovsky
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Extreme nationalist
Anti-semitic
Sexist
Attacks reformist leaders and disliked Yeltsin
Said he would use nuclear weapons on Japan if he were elected
Party reformulated as “Zhirinovsky’s Bloc” for 2000
presidential election, he received 2.7% of vote
Party did receive about 11% of vote in 2003 Duma elections
(won 37 seats)
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3 types
 Referendum
 Duma Elections
 Presidential Elections
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March 1993 parliament attempts to impeach Yeltsin
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Legislative-led coup tries to usurp control of the government
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Yeltsin dissolves legislature, calls for new elections
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Although opposition leaders were arrested, Yeltsin’s
opponents won the majority in the new legislature
 Radical Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s Liberal Party did surprisingly well
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Despite losing control of the legislature Yeltsin was able to
get approval for the new constitution: Constitution of 1993
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Created a three-branch government
 President & Prime Minister
 Lower legislative house (DUMA)
 Constitutional Court
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Referendum - allowed for president to call for national
referenda by popular vote on important issues
▪ Yeltsin’s first referendum was on his job performance
▪ Second was for approval of the constitution itself
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Oligarchy
▪ Tied closely with the Yeltsin family
▪ By mid-1990s monopolized Russian
industry and built huge fortunes
▪ Boris Berezovsky – admitted that he
and six other entrepreneurs
controlled over half the GNP
▪ Dominant in oil, media, and
television industries
▪ Helped Yeltsin win 1996 election
▪ Created and financed the Unity Party
in 2000 and got Vladimir Putin
elected
▪ Putin has cracked down on
“independent minded” oligarchs and
has taken control of media and oil
industry
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Russian Mafia
▪ Larger and perhaps even more
influential than the oligarchy
▪ Initially involved in underworld
crime
▪ During Revolution of 1991
gained control of businesses,
natural resources, and banks
▪ Involved in money laundering,
drugs, prostitution, and
business payoffs (“protection
money”)
▪ Includes former members of
the KGB
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Huge fortunes made by oligarchs and the mafia offend the equality of
opportunity principle of the Russian people
In the past, lawlessness in Russia has been dealt with by repressive,
authoritarian rule, and these groups represent a threat to the new
democracy
Putin arrested television magnate Vladimir Gusinsky for corruption and
his company was given to a state-owned monopoly
In 2003, Mikhail Khodorvsky, the richest man in Russia and CEO of the
Yukos Oil Company was arrested as a signal that the Russian government
was consolidating power
Yukos was slapped with massive penalties and additional taxes, forcing it
into bankruptcy
Russian Media – a linkage institution with close ties to both
the state and the oligarchy, has been manipulated by
dominant political and interest groups to pursue their own
causes
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Key Associational Groups
 Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
(RUIE)
▪ Desire for individual firms to be friendly with President limits
its action (Yukos Affair)
 League of Committees of Soldiers’ Mothers
 Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia
(FITUR)
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Duties of the President
▪ Appoints the prime minister and cabinet – Duma must approve
prime minister’s appointment, but if they reject the president’s nominee
three times, the president may dissolve the Duma (power ministries
responsible to president, core of security council)
▪ Issue decrees that have force of law – cabinet has great deal of
power, Duma can not censure cabinet according to Constitution of 1993
▪ Dissolve the Duma – done by Yeltsin during legislative coup attempt of
1993
▪ Veto – President has power of veto passed by Duma
▪ Directly elected by two-ballot system (similar to France)
▪ President is limited to two terms (Putin attempted to eliminate this rule in
2004, but was not adopted)
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Prime Minister: relationship between PM and President not exactly clear, but
with no vice-president if anything happens to president the PM assumes the
office of president
 Prime Minister is nominated by President and approved by the Duma
 Can be removed by Duma if two repeat votes of no confidence are passed
within a three-month period
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Oversees the “non-power” ministries run by bureaucrats who are holdovers from
the Soviet nomenklatura system
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Russia contains a large bureaucracy, a
holdover from the Soviet days, and a
presidential administration that serves the
president directly
The heads of the various ministries are career
bureaucrats
 Patron-client networks are important for career
opportunities and advancement
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Duma
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Federation Council
 Lower House
 Upper House
 450 deputies
 Two members elected from
 All seats based on proportional
each of the 89 regions of the
federation
 Power to delay legislation
representation (2005 ); must win
7% of popular vote to gain seats
▪ Designed to strengthen political
party system
 Passes Bills
 Approves Budgets
 Confirms president’s political
appointments
 “Could” override vetoes
▪ On paper Federation Council
can change boundaries of
republics, ratify use of armed
forces, and appoint and
remove judges. These powers
have yet to be used however
▪ Meets once every 2 weeks
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Supreme Court
 Created by 1993 Constitution
 Serves as final court of appeals in criminal & civil
cases
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Constitutional Court
 Created by 1993 Constitution
 19 members
 Appointed by president and confirmed by
Federation Council
 Adjudicate disputes on the constitutionality of
federal and regional laws
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Was a source of strength during the Soviet era, 1945-1991
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Once stood at over 4 million men
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Generally did not get involved in politics, this continues under
the Russian Federation
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Russian Federation relies on a system of universal male
conscription, but many rejected for health reasons
Suffered significant humiliation from the late 1980’s to early 21st
century
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 Withdrawal from Afghanistan
 Defeated by Chechen guerrillas in 1994-1996 conflict
 Often ill-equipped, Russian soldiers had to feed themselves and went
unpaid for months in late 1990’s and early 21st century
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Relations with Former
Republics
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Relations with the World
 Adjustment period for Russia
 Confederation of Independent
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States (CIS)
Russia is the clear leader of
organization
Is not nearly as successful,
economically and politically, as
the EU
Bonded together by trade
agreements
Putin’s meddling in Ukrainian
election of 2004 was cause for
concern
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following Cold War and loss of
superpower status
Offered aid and foreign
investment by U.S.
Accepted into the G-7 (now
known as G-8)
UN Security Council
permanent member
Russia set to join the WTO in
July 2007